Best Panzanella Recipe Ever: Homemade Garlic Crouton & Avocado Panzanella with Grilled Tomatoes

What if Panzanella and Caprese had a baby?

Wait, what?

Are you confused? :)

Panzanella is a great summer salad made with stale bread and typically tomatoes. Caprese is another great summer salad made with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.

But you know I'm not a really good rule/recipe follower. So, I decided to combine the two salads and change up the way some of the ingredients are prepped.

And that's how I created Homemade Garlic Crouton & Avocado Panzanella with Grilled Tomatoes.

Let's discuss each ingredient!
Bread: I used a baguette, which I sliced in half lengthwise, drizzled with olive oil and then grilled on my grill pan. As soon as each half of the baguette was grilled, I rubbed it with a cut up {just to expose more of the surface} garlic clove and chopped the baguette halves into bite-size pieces.

Tomatoes: for something different, I tossed the cherry tomatoes with a bit of olive oil and grilled them on my grill pan. Of course if you have an outside grill, use that. Or you can roast the tomatoes.

Mozzarella: I used a big ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into bite-size pieces.

Extras: cubed avocado, torn leaves of Butter lettuce, chiffonade of basil, salt & pepper, drizzle of olive oil.

Aren't the colors beyond vibrant? If you are not a fan of the typically soggy Panzanella salad, you will love the texture of these homemade garlic croutons. The grilled tomatoes will burst in your mouth, while the creamy avocado combined with the olive oil with make a lovely dressing to marry all the other ingredients.

Go ahead and make this salad tonight for dinner or over the weekend for lunch!